Khabib on Daniel Cormier: He is one of the greatest fightersof all time | Khabib Nurmagomedov
Khabib Nurmagomedov praises Daniel Cormier as one of the greatest fighters of all time, highlighting his unique Olympic wrestling pedigree and multiple championship titles across weight classes. Despite their friendly relationship, Khabib emphasizes that DC's legacy is often overshadowed by his rivalry with Jon Jones, though DC deserves recognition among the top 10 greatest fighters.
Summary
In this interview, Khabib discusses his training partner and coach Daniel Cormier's exceptional athletic career and legacy in combat sports. Khabib traces DC's journey from being a two-time Olympian (2004, 2008) in freestyle wrestling at 96 kilos, through his regional MMA success, to his Strikeforce Grand Prix victory and subsequent move to the UFC. Khabib notes that Cormier strategically cut to 205 lbs to accommodate his close friend Kane Velasquez's heavyweight championship, resulting in both becoming champions in different divisions. Khabib emphasizes DC's rarity as an athlete: competing at World Championships and Olympic Games in wrestling before becoming a Strikeforce champion, UFC light heavyweight champion, and UFC heavyweight champion. The speaker acknowledges their playful training relationship but stresses that despite joking around, DC is genuinely one of the most unique athletes to ever transition from Olympic wrestling to MMA dominance. Khabib reflects on their years together at AKA (2012-2020) and the valuable lessons learned from Cormier. He addresses the narrative problem surrounding DC's legacy: his rivalry with Jon Jones has overshadowed his accomplishments, despite DC being competitive with and pushing Jones to train harder. Khabib clarifies that while Jon Jones was the better athlete, Cormier deserves recognition as a top 10 greatest fighter and should not be diminished by a single rivalry.
Key Insights
- Daniel Cormier is among the most unique athletes ever to have competed at World Championships and Olympic Games in freestyle wrestling and then transitioned to become a Strikeforce champion, UFC light heavyweight champion, and UFC heavyweight champion
- Cormier strategically moved from heavyweight to light heavyweight (205 lbs) to accommodate his best friend Kane Velasquez's position as heavyweight champion, resulting in both becoming champions in different divisions
- One rivalry between Cormier and Jon Jones has overshadowed DC's entire legacy, a phenomenon also seen in football and other sports
- When Cormier fought Jon Jones, he was no longer at his peak and was pushing 40 years old, yet still provided competitive fights
- Khabib spent his best years (2012-2020) with Cormier at AKA and learned significantly from him as a wrestler, fighter, and person
Topics
Transcript
[0:03] What can you say about one of the greatest fighters and athletes ever, Daniel DC Cormier, who you train with? You guys joke around all the time, so it's easy to forget how great he really is. What can you say about him as a training partner, as a coach, as a person? When we talk about DC, we have to go back to 2004, 2008. He was a twotime Olympian. He represented team USA at the Olympic Games and that [0:33] carries a lot of weight in this sport, especially in the 96 kilo division. And he is a two-time Olympian. Then he transitioned to MMA, won a few fights on the regional scene, went to Strikeforce, won…
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